Chance bared her teeth and her body language changed to defense. “Ares,” she growled. Oh Hades! I knew very little about the Greek myths, but I knew this guy, the god of war. Of al the fucking luck! I tensed, if he was the god of war there was no way this was going to end without blood.

Ares smiled making the twisting scars on his face move. “Chance, I have to say I’m unimpressed. You’re reputation made me hope for a better evasion tactic.  This is a pity. Though I suppose my little brother here made your escape a little harder.  Newbies are always hard to have in tow

“I’ve got a brother too? Gods my family hates me!” I complained,, couldn't I have one realtive that wasn't a jackass? “Just let us go dude.” I said hoping Chance had dirt on this guy too. Maybe daddy dearest went both ways. It wasn't impossible.

“Yeah join the club,” Chance muttered cocking the hammer on the pistol. “Now get out of here before I scatter your essence all over the Underworld.”

Ares laughed and it sent a hundred spiders down my spine, “Tough talk for a half-breed.” Half-breed? Something in my gut told me that was supposed to be an insult related to our half human, half god status and though I normally didn't think about it I was offended. So being half god made this an easy catch? Oh no fucking way! I scowled and narrowed my eyes, heart beating even faster as fight or flight response traveled through my body.

“I’m tough enough to take you on,” Chance growled shoving the pistol into my hands. Guess she trusted my ability to shoot a pistol more than my knife fighting.

“Please,” said a female voice that didn’t sound like Chance. Another flash of lightening and I saw a black woman with a brown sweater and jeans on, her face looked imploring at Ares. “We don’t want to make a scene.”

Ares snorted and cracked his knuckles like some wannabe-thug. “Fine, I’ll go easy for you."

“Xander get out here,” Chance ordered daring to take one glance at me before zeroing back in on Ares and the woman.

My haze of adrenaline and anger cleared a moment;  run off and let a girl take on the grizzly bear sized guy? Not in a hundred years! If we went down we went down together, I wasn't gonna leave her. Though my chances of surviving in this fight weren't every good...My pride and head we’re conflicted but I didn’t have much time to decide, a blur of motion had Ares’s hand around Chance’s neck and hoisted up and off the ground. My pride made up its mind, I turned and started for Chance and that jackass that is my brother, but I barely got one foot off the ground when a wall of fire sprung up around me.  I yelped and jumped back as two arms wrapped around me. One around my neck, the other around my waist. Oh shit.

“Listen here Xander,” said the girl. “On the count of three I’m going to ‘misfire’ an attack at Ares. When that happens hit my with your gun, butt or barrel I don’t care. Just knock me out.”

  “What?” I said sure I was now dead and hearing things.

“One," she said either not noticing my confusion or maybe this was what I could expect in the afterlife. Being confused and scared until the end of time since I really haven't done anything (I hope) to deserve being beaten and in pain forever.

“Hey lady what gives?” I protested freaked out as I realized my heart was beating still. I am not dead so what the fuck is going on? Clearly this lady was a goddess, why was she helping me?!

“Two,” she was clearly ignoring me and I was clearly alive. What the hell? What sort of reality it this supposed to be?

"Hey,” I tried again.

  “Three!” she released me and the wall of fire shifted and blasted itself a few inches away from my right shoulder and it knocked Ares over sending both him and Chance sprawling onto the road.

  “Do it! Hit me!” the girl said, when I just stared at her she grabbed my hand and hit her temple with the butt of the gun and she fell to the ground, eyes rolled up into her head.

  I heard a scuffle behind me and my confusion was replaced by anger. I spun around and saw Ares land a pretty good punch into Chance’s gut. My vision turned red. I was okay with a lot of things. But I was not okay with some asshole guy beating on a girl. Ever! Especially if that girl was my friend and fellow convict!.   I pulled the trigger and heard Ares’s howl of pain I grinned dove in towards the fight as I saw gold gunk spew onto the ground. Got him! He looked up at me with the gaze of an angry bear. Oh shit.  This was just like the three headed lizard all over again. I hadn't done any real damange to stop him from killing me or bringing me back. I'd just made him mad!

Well at least he wasn't focusing on Chance anymore, if we both couldn't get out I had to make sure she could. She'd surive and make it without me, I knew she could and would.Me? I'd be royally fucked without her. I'd be dead or back in Hell within two days at the most. He stood up and smiled, his grin gold too and I was reminded of the Joker with how creep his smile was.  “I’ll remember this little brother; I guess one out of two isn’t bad.”

He disappeared in a shower of gold sparks; how how unmanly that was...It was over that quickly? And one out of two…Chance! I spun around, a cold feeling spreading everywhere in my body and started running to where she was and she was freakishly still.

“CHANCE!!” I shouted skidding to a stop on my knees which soon became sticky with blood that wasn’t mine. I now got what Ares meant when he said “one out of two”. She a huge red smear across her stomach with a big knife in the middle of it.

She glanced up at me with her freaky eyes. “Xander…you idiot.” She coughed spraying my face with blood and I was frozen, I couldn't wipe the sticky substance from my face.“I told you to run, and you almost exposed Hestia.”

“Sorry,” I muttered as I watched the life drain out of her body. Though 'sorry' didn't cover anything I was sorry about. I was sorry I always nagged her for answers when we had bigger things to worry about.  I was sorry I hadn't caught onto  what Hestia was trying to do sooner, then maybe I could've gotten a better shot at Ares sooner. I was sorry I'd gotten us in the car crash in the first place by not paying good enough attention, maybe we wouldn't have gotten in this if I had. I was sorry she thought I was going to ditch her and that with her gone that the gods were probably going to stay where they where.

 I had barely known Chance for about a half a month and already I knew this much.  She’s the reason for the redhead stereo-type; she’s the female James Bond, has freaky eyes and she knows more about all this gods and monster stuff then I do. Without her I’m going to be thrown back into that prison faster than I could say, “I am an idiot.” The gods were never going to get kicked off their thrones, not with her gone. I couldn't do this alone.  "I'm so sorry," I said feeling tears burn my eyes with their salt. The spattering sound of feet in water reached my ears and rage boiled my blood like water making me forget my grief a moment. If Ares wanted to kill me fine! But I going to make sure I at least got a few good swipes at him first. “Sorry Chance,” I said gripping the slick handle of the knife and pulling it free of her body.

 I had in in a tight grip in my hand and  just in the nick of time the footsteps were right behind me. I lashed out with a wild shout and my knife found its mark. It sunk into a fleshy body and gold stuff that I now knew was the god version of blood.  I looked up into Ares-wait this guy is not Ares. He was much less beefy and lacked the crazy bloodlust in his eyes as well as all of lack of too many knife scars.

Pain filled his eyes and he reached into his back pocket and shoved my chest I waited for the pain when I felt something cold and metal press into my chest. But it didn't come at all, I opened my eyes and looked down waiting for the pain of a knife that wasn’t there. He’d given my handcuffs. What now?

  I looked up at the guy/god, “Um…?” I didn't have many words, what was he trying to do? Distract me so he could..I don't know turn me into a rat? Could gods do that?

“Handcuff me and do it quick!” he ordered holding out his blood stained wrist.

“Excuse me?” I said sure I sounded like a Jersey girl, he wanted me to hancuff him? "If this is some weird sexual fantasy I am not going to-!"

“Just handcuff me!” he said hysteria entering his voice.

“Who are you?” I asked extremely confused as well as extremely curious. What kind of god was he? Was he god of fetishes or something?

“If you don’t handcuff me you will have no trouble finding out the answer!” He snapped with a thing called panic written all over his face.

Rolling my eyes I cuffed him and said, “Are you happy now?” I asked yanking my knife back, pleased to watch pain twist his face and I crossed my arms.

He grinned through the pain making it look more like he was eating something that tasted worse than Mikey's cooking. “Utterly ecstatic.”

“Now who are you?” I demanded crossing my arms across my chest to protect my vital organs and keep my other  hand off his throat.  didn't want him to have easy acess to getting me into close combat. This guy was weird, even for a god. Why did he want me to handcuff him? Did he think he could take me other without the use of his hands? Well if that was the case I looked forward to proving he was wrong!

“I can answer that,” said a voice I was sure I was done hearing forever. I turned fast, shocked as I saw Chance who I know lying on her death bed five minutes ago; walking towards me as the wound on her stomach knitted itself back together like the Wolverine.

“Xander, I’d like you to meet Thantos, the god of death.”